I am a beginner with Klipper. Although I have 9 printers, none of them use Klipper. I am interested in a multi-tool head large printer (500x500) with self leveling z-axis. I do have an older corexy 500x500 now (TronXY X5SA, all linear rails, E3D Hemera print head, Lerdge control board). Is the best path forward to modify what I have now, build from scratch, or buy a printer/kit? I worry that modifying my existing 500x500 corexy not be cost effective since I can get a new ratrig for less than $1K (plus it will be new technology). They do not offer a multi-tool head yet.
If I mod what I have now, what control board would you recommend? I assume that would be step one.
I’m building my first Klipper Core XY from scratch, this has made for a pretty steep learning curve. If I were you, I’d convert the Tronxy to Klipper and replicate as much of the types of behavior features you want in your new machine with that.
Then from a software side of things it’ll be a lift and shift with tweaks to the new machine rather than starting from scratch.
Whilst everything is documented with klipper, when you start the hard part is knowing the questions to ask and where to go for the documentation then understanding what it actually means. Old hands at this stuff may say that’s silly but they’re over that hump.
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Thank you for the advice!
I very well may go down that rabbit hole and mod my existing corexy. I can get a ready-to-install toolplate/buildplate from ratrig and need new Z motors (the ones that came with the printer work but don’t stay in place once you turn the machine off and the buildplate falls). I can also order a BigTreeTech Octopus motherboard and drivers (what is a USB/CAN toolboard?)… From reading, I also need the RaspberryPI?
Will also get a touchscreen for control (although these printers are at work, I don’t access them over the internet).
I noticed that this guy made his own multi-tool heads for ratrigs
I am hoping the conversion to ratrig style corexy Klipper machine will be smooth and I can go right into adding tool heads. I am using the Revo Hemera XS now and it works great, but I notice he uses the Phaetus hotends and a c-pap cooler for part cooling…
Blockquote(the ones that came with the printer work but don’t stay in place once you turn the machine off and the buildplate falls).
It’s ok that it does this, you put limit switches at max Z then home to that at the start of the homing routine. This is what I do, but for different reasons.
BlockquoteI also need the RaspberryPI?
Yes you will need one of those. There are other weays to do it, but I’d stay in the middle of the lane to start with.
Blockquote(what is a USB/CAN toolboard?)
With Klipper your main board that has the stepper drivers on is controlled by the Pi, the Pi can control a number of boards at once.
So, the tool-head board is just another board connected to you Pi and controlled by Klipper, the connection between the Pi and the board can be by USB or CANBUS as the communication method.
The advantage is the number of wires going to the tool head is reduced greatly and tool-head board will often have other features built in like adxl345 for input shaping built in.
BlockquoteWill also get a touchscreen for control
They’re cheap and I have them on my printers, but frankly I never use it other than to see that it’s booted up or if there’s an error message, so not super important IMHO.
Overall and from experience I think this is the most importasnt bit, is stay middle of the road. i.e. whatever parts you’re going to use make sure you can find a number of tutorials on you tube and blogs and documentation that covers what you are trying to do for example for BTT Octupus there appears to be about a 1,000x more knowledge out there than the Fysect spider I’m using.